Hartman D'Souza: Marshall erroneously reads victory in the stay order issued by our apex court. I do not feel this is warranted. While Claude states the obvious in his comments, namely, that following the Court order, the Timblos will have to demolish the illegal structures before April 30th or whatever, it is quite obvious, from the same report, that Timblo's lawyers are totally unfazed and are preparing themselves for a long haul in the courts.
Response: Hartman, I am well aware that the SC has only issued an ad interim injunction on the operation of the Ordinance. Being well versed with the functioning of courts, I can assure you that it is a major decision. Generally the HC and SC are averse to passing any ad interim injunctions against the government at the admission of appeal stage. They prefer a preliminary hearing of the case before passing any ad interim injunction orders. The very fact that the SC made adverse comments on the Goa govt is itself significant. It gives an indication of the direction of the thinking of the court. I know that this is a small victory and that there is a long haul ahead. The government and Ciadade have the money, resources and influence to get what they want. It is equally important for the people to bring pressure on all the 40 MLA's to sign their opposition to the Ordinance / Bill. In a struggle of this kind, we should celeberate even small victories as they act as morale boosters and bring out the fence sitters into the streets. Regards, Marshall